Arsenal on alert after former club admit transfer interest in €75m Arteta star

Suraj Radia

• 16 Mar 2026 11:48 GMT
• 4 min read

News

Arsenal could face interest in Kai Havertz this summer after the sporting director for Bayer Leverkusen admitted he would be keen on bringing the his side’s boyhood star back to his former club.

Havertz came through Leverkusen’s academy and made 150 appearances for the club before joining Chelsea in 2020 followed by a €75 million move to the Gunners three years later.

Current ETV

Kai Havertz

F, M (C)

Arsenal

Kai Havertz

F, M (C)

Arsenal

€60.8M

ETV Range

€54.7M - €66.9M

View full profile

The 26-year-old has been in-and-out of the line-up during his time at Arsenal, having also struggled with injuries, and Leverkusen director Simon Rolfes revealed the club would ‘need to have a conversation’ if Havertz ever became available for transfer.

“I’m generally sceptical about bringing former players back. But with Kai [Havertz] and Florian Wirtz, I would make an exception,” Rolfes said on Sport1 programme Doppelpass.

“[Havertz] spent ten years in our youth system. We maintain close contact with Kai and if the situation arises, we would need to have a conversation.

“At the moment, however, he is in a different phase of his career and feels very comfortable at Arsenal. He left the club to reach the top of world football.”

Havertz could make return to German football as Arsenal minutes dry up

Havertz became Leverkusen’s youngest debutant and goalscorer in the Bundesliga during his time with the club and his performances led to him being named as runner up in the 2019 German Footballer of the Year award and an eventual €100m move to Chelsea.

However, Havertz’s time in England has perhaps not consistently lived up to expectations, having failed to prove himself as a goalscoring striker or a creative midfielder.

But the German international’s workrate and physical ability prompted Arsenal to sign him in 2023 where he initially played as Mikel Arteta’s starting striker, scoring 13 Premier League goals in his first season at the Emirates.

A serious injury in February 2025 halted Havertz’s progress and he eventually returned to fitness in January this year and has slowly been finding his way into form.

Despite Arteta’s admiration for Havertz, the forward has fallen down the pecking order after the signings of Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres last summer and reports have linked Bayern Munich with a big money move for him this summer.

Arsenal have already reportedly outlined potential replacements and could be open to Havertz’s departure for the right price as he enters the final two years of his contract with the club, potentially giving Leverkusen a chance to achieve their dream signing.

Football transfer news headlines today

Transfer Rumours: Arsenal want Lewis Hall as agent drops bombshell

Liam Rosenior faces Chelsea sack amid 'serious concerns'

Man Utd ready to sign Europe's next €100m wonderkid

Arsenal chase €80m deal for 'best in the world' star

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store